PEORIA — The tranquility of a weekend morning on the Peoria riverfront got a shot of adrenaline Saturday in the form of color, running and thumping music.

The Color Vibe, a 5K run that’s a little more concerned with bathing runners in blasts of multicolored powder than tracking times, invaded the riverfront and Downtown Peoria for the first time Saturday. More than 1,300 runners spanning all age ranges hollered and cheered at each color station that flung a new batch of powder onto what was once clean, white running attire.

Perhaps nobody embodied the race’s spirit more than Josh Houston, who sports his own rainbow mohawk on a regular basis. The tall 33-year-old Pekin native, who cheered on the finishing runners to the very end of the race, signed up for the Color Vibe almost the moment he heard about it.

“Obviously, I’m a colorful guy and I thought, “This is the one for me,’” Houston said.

Many participants signed up to experience the curious spectacle along with the DJ-fueled dance party, replete with multiple color blasts, at the CEFCU Center Stage after the race. But a strong contingent of runners registered because a portion of the race’s profits is benefiting Quest Charter Academy. Madisen and Macy Webster are entering the ninth and fifth grades, respectively, at Quest, and the Websters made a family gathering out of it. All five family members ran and could be seen milling about after the race decked head to toe in the full spectrum of colors.

“The little ones especially looked forward to the color stations, because that’s what kept them going,” said Harreld Webster, Madisen and Macy’s father.

Cindy Ardis Jenkins, development director at Quest, said Color Vibe chose Peoria because of the reputation of the Peoria running community, the charity opportunity and the help of Adam White — owner of Running Central. Jenkins said she did not yet know the proceeds for Quest, but noted that seeing the sheer joy of the runners established the Color Vibe as a worthwhile venture and a possible annual staple for Peoria.

“It was so fun to watch them, especially going through the color stations,” Jenkins said. “I was very pleasantly surprised to see the amount of people, too.”

Thomas Bruch can be reached at 686-3188 or tbruch@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasBruch.